Treasures
by LiLover131
Summary: When Fujitaka searches for the Clow book in his library and is unable to find it, Sakura decides to finally ask how it managed to end up there in the first place. When her father tells her and Syaoran the tale of how he discovered the book, the story was not at all what they were expecting...


Lilover131: Hi there! I've got another story for you guys that I found extremely fun to write. So I have always had this funny headcanon that Fujitaka is actually Indiana Jones, but I also wondered how exactly he came across the Clow book. On that note, here is the story that I have written on how I believe he actually found it. Enjoy!

 **Treasures**

"Sakura-san, have you seen the red book with the gold markings on it from my library? It says 'The Clow' on the spine…" Fujitaka asked suddenly.

Sakura blinked and nearly choked on her sip of tea at the question. Syaoran, who was seated beside her on the couch, was rather surprised as well. He looked to her, wondering how she would respond, and as expected, her answer was filled with nervousness.

"…I-I don't think so, Father…why?"

She would have said yes if the book hadn't already changed in appearance when she converted all the cards inside to Sakura cards, but now the book was pink with a winged star on the front. The appearance was nowhere near the same, even if it was to be returned to the library where she found it. Her father sighed softly, a bit of disappointment in his features.

"I wanted to give it to you as a gift," he said, much to Sakura and Syaoran's surprise.

"Thank you for the thought! I have seen it once before, and it was very pretty. Where did you get it?" she asked.

She had always wondered how the Clow book had ended up in her father's library in the basement, and Syaoran's curiosity seemed to be peaked as well. Honestly, it had never even occurred to either of them before how such a thing happened in the first place. Fujitaka smiled and sat down in a chair across from the couch the two sat on.

"Would you like to hear the story?"

The two nodded eagerly, and Fujitaka began to tell his tale.

"Well…it happened about 14 years ago…"

~ _Fourteen Years Ago~_

"Kinomoto-sensei!" called out one of his students.

Fujitaka looked up from the map that was laid out on his table beneath the tent. He and several other archaeologists and students were very close to finding something extraordinary in these ruins within a very remote part of Japan. The place was quite difficult to get to in the first place, so it wasn't really hard to believe that this old place at the top of the Japanese Alps had gone many years before discovery.

Fujitaka was fascinated by it, as it appeared to primarily be just a large metal door or gateway of some sort on the side of the mountain. It was so overgrown with thick vegetation that it had almost gone unnoticed. However, even once cleared of the greenery, no one seemed able to get inside. The doors were quite solidly shut, and for days the group had been trying to figure out ways to open them without damaging it.

It was when Fujitaka's student, Haruto Nakamura, called out to him as he was researching other methods, that there seemed to be a sparkle of hope.

"Kinomoto-sensei, we got the doors open!" he said excitedly. Fujitaka adjusted his glasses, quite stunned at the sudden progression.

"How did you do it?" he asked.

"We're not sure, exactly. The doors just suddenly opened on their own. It was almost like magic!"

Fujitaka smiled, almost laughing. Magic, huh? The man had always believed there were things out there beyond what could be seen or even comprehended by the average human. The world was full of things to discover and learn, and perhaps that was one of the reasons why he had fallen for Nadeshiko. Like him, she had an open mind about the world, but the both of them had entirely different reasons for it. After all, Nadeshiko could see things most could not, and even though her husband could not see them himself, he knew more than anyone else that there were places, buildings, and objects that had still not been touched by human hands in thousands of years, so how could spirits or magic be any different?

"What have we found so far?" Fujitaka asked, quickly making his way to the doors that were now pried open.

"There's a cave, but we haven't gone inside yet. We wanted to wait for your directions," Haruto asked.

Fujitaka was in charge of this excavation, and he usually was one of the first to enter an unknown place, due to his fearlessness and extraordinary physical abilities. He'd be the first to walk a rickety bridge with rotted wood or dive into murky waters without knowing what dangers might be inside of them. The thrill of finding something incredible always kept him going, and he had no time for fear.

Thus naturally, it was he who was able to enter the doorway first, which lead into the dark cave. Fujitaka gazed around in awe and began to gather some things in preparation to explore. He packed a bag full of supplies and put on a head band with a flashlight attached.

"I'm heading inside now," he said, and his student Haruto nodded, readying his own bag.

"I'll be right behind you, Fujitaka-sensei."

Fujitaka started inside the dark cave, the light of his flashlight only penetrating a few feet in front of him. There was almost a strange sort of fog inside, and there was a rather haunting howl of wind within. He could also hear a slow drip of water, and the sound that echoed carried deep into the cave, making the space appear to be almost much larger than anticipated.

It seemed to be an ordinary cave from the looks of it, but there must have been doors placed here for some reason. However, Fujitaka wondered exactly what that reasons were. Were they trying to keep people out? Or were they trying to keep something in?

The man walked for several minutes until he felt his feet touch a surface that was different than the roughness of the cave floor. He felt something smooth against the bottom of his feet, and when he gazed down, his flashlight shone upon what seemed to be some sort of carved symbol. His eyes widened and he knelt down to admire it. It was a circle with a twelve pointed star, and within it were a sun and moon and various other markings.

"What is this?" Fujitaka said to himself, and he turned his head when he saw another flash of light from behind him.

"What did you find, Kinomoto-sensei?" his colleague asked.

Fujitaka smiled and looked back to the carving.

"I'm not sure. Though it seems like a symbol used perhaps for rituals of some kind…elemental characters and western zodiac symbols? How strange that is has both Eastern and Western markings…"

His gloved hand gently touched the symbol, and suddenly, he felt the ground shift beneath him. The circle seemed to open like a doorway, dropping him into a dark hole seemingly without a bottom. He cried out in surprise, and his colleague shouted in horror.

"KINOMOTO-SENSEI!"

Fujitaka reached his hand up to try and grip at the walls and managed to hold onto thin ledge within within the drop. He sighed in relief and with his free hand, carefully reached for the rope he kept on his belt loop.

"Kinomoto-sensei, are you all right?!" Haruto yelled.

Fujitaka nodded as he looked up to his student.

"Haruto-kun, will you please catch this rope for me and tie it somewhere secure? I want to climb down. There must be something down here!"

Haruto agreed, though he looked rather worried. There was no telling what was down there or even how far down it went. However, regardless, the rope needed to be tied not just to help Fujitaka get down but also getting back up. Haruto secured the rope to a stalagmite in the cave, and he shined a flashlight down at his teacher as the man climbed further down into the darkness. Eventually, he could no longer see him. From here, he would just wait.

Fujitaka shuffled down the rope for quite a distance, not really sure when he'd eventually reach the bottom. However, after a bit, he started to see some light, and this pushed him to keep going. The man found an opening that lead to a large space so beautiful that he took a few minutes to simply hang there and stare at its magnificence.

Beneath him was a beautiful blue pool of water and within the middle of it was a mini island of great big trees and a fantastic gazebo made of stone. There appeared to be something under this gazebo that caught his eye, and Fujitaka intended to investigate. He lowered himself into the water and slowly swam to the island, surprised as a bird flew by his head. Where on earth did this bird come from? His eyes gazed up to see a pocket of light above the trees and gazebo, which must have been an opening to the outside. How amazing that these trees could grow so large with so little sunlight.

As Fujitaka approached the gazebo, he felt a strange sort of pull that he couldn't explain. It was as if the object within was calling to him. When he got a closer look, he found a pedestal within, and on it was a red book with a latch to keep it closed. The golden markings and jewels that decorated the corners were marvelous to look at, and though the book looked rather old, it seemed to be in much better shape that what would be expected of it in such an environment. He also noticed the English words on the spine and read it aloud.

"…The Clow…? What's that?"

The man went to reach for it, but he stopped short, getting a bad feeling. This space almost felt like it had a life to it, and it was a bit careless and almost rude to just simply take the book from this spot, wasn't it? This book obviously had some importance to someone after all to keep it in a place like this. Perhaps he should make an offering of some sort? Maybe if he traded a treasure for a treasure, this place would forgive him for intruding.

Fujitaka reached into his bag, damp from the pool of water, for something to offer it. He didn't have much with him, but the most precious thing he could think to offer was the bento that Nadeshiko had made for him. His wife wasn't that great of a cook, but she always put her heart into everything she did. Regardless of taste, it always gave Fujitaka the energy he needed, and thus he found it to be something very powerful, like magic.

The man held out the bento and bowed respectfully before quickly switching out the items. He held his breath, as if expecting some sort of reaction, but he sighed in relief when there appeared to be no repercussions for taking the book.

However, he was at ease too soon as the ground began to shake violently beneath him, and the bird that had flown by before was now fleeing in fear. Pieces of rock fell from the ceiling splashing sharply in the water, and Fujitaka did not believe it was safe any longer to stay here. He wished he could stay and observe more, but beyond this space, there didn't seem to be anything else to see.

With that, Fujitaka quickly put the book into his bag and swam with great speed across the water, narrowly dodging rocks from above as he did. He gripped the rope to the tunnel above that he had climbed down from, and the rope still seemed secure, thanks to Haruto. He could faintly hear his student crying out for him from above, pleading for him to return.

Fujitaka climbed quickly, feeling the earth around him rumble, and within the darkness, he used Haruto's flashlight as a guide. When he finally reached the top, his student grabbed his hand and hoisted him out before the two ran as fast as they could towards the exit. Rocks were falling all around them, and just after they managed to leave the mouth of the cave, a massive pile of boulders crashed down and blocked the entrance.

The other archaeologists that had been evacuated too sighed in relief to see everyone make it out safely and sighed at the newly blocked entrance. It looked as if any hope of getting back inside was gone now.

"Kinomoto-sensei, Nakamura-kun…are you all right?!"

The two were inspected as they sat on the ground, panting in exhaustion from their narrow escape. Fujitaka and Haruto nodded before bursting into laughter.

"That was rather close, wasn't it?" Fujitaka said.

Haruto nodded in agreement and peered curiously at his teacher.

"What did you find, Kinomoto-sensei?"

Fujitaka's eyes were lit up with delight as he explained to his colleagues what he had seen and what he found, and everyone gazed upon his findings in amazement. Nearly everyone tried their hand at opening the book to see what mysteries lie inside, but no one was able to make it budge. One archeologist even seemed to jump back as he claimed to have heard a growl from the cover.

"What kind of book is this?!" someone shouted.

Fujitaka adjusted his glasses and looked to the cave the book had been discovered in.

"Perhaps it was waiting for someone…" he said.

The group looked at him rather incredulously.

"You were unable to open it too, though…"

The man shook his head and smiled gently.

"No, I don't mean me. I think someone out there can open this book. Someone very special…"

There was a silence as everyone took this in. It seemed foolish from a scientific standpoint, but this place had a rather odd feeling to it that they never experienced at any other excavation site. Since there didn't seem to be anything else to find, they left the mysterious book to Fujitaka to hopefully discover the contents within. After all, he had been the one to find it and nearly died taking it with him.

"Kinomoto-sensei," said another student approaching, holding a satellite phone to him.

He looked to the student inquisitively.

"There is a call for you. Your wife has gone into labor and given birth. It's a little girl," they said.

Fujitaka's eyes widened, and he was beaming with joy.

"Sakura…" he whispered. He already knew her name, since it was what Nadeshiko had always wanted to name her baby girl.

His eyes gazed down to the book within his hands and he smiled warmly.

"Perhaps this book was waiting for you…"

~ _Present Day_ ~

Sakura and Syaoran stared in amazement at Fujitaka when he finished his story, and the man tilted his head as if confused by how stunned they were.

"Father, I didn't know your work was like that!" she said.

He laughed at her response.

"It's not always like that. Most of the time it's just digging and writing papers," he replied.

"But it's more than that!" Syaoran suddenly said.

Sakura and Fujitaka looked to the boy, who seemed very passionate in his words.

"You are experiencing parts of history that no one has ever seen before and finding ways to share them with the world…"

The archaeologist smiled at the boy and enjoyed his enthusiasm on the subject.

"Would you like to come with me on a dig someday?"

The excitement on Syaoran's face was evident, and he nodded rapidly.

"I would be honored!" he said.

"Well, that settles it then. Someday"

Sakura still had a hard time wrapping her mind around her father's work after hearing this story, but now it sort of made sense as to why his students at the university seemed to admire him so much. Even Syaoran was drawn in by the glamorous tales. Fujitaka stood from his seat and gazed to the kitchen.

"Would either of you like a treat? I made strawberry chiffon cake last night," he offered.

"Yes please!" the two answered, and when Fujitaka left the room, Syaoran looked to Sakura with a sparkle his eyes. Undoubtedly, he had been taken in by the story more than anyone.

"Sakura, your father is so cool!" he stated.

Sakura nodded in agreement.

"And he's right…"

The girl blinked.

"Right about what?" she asked.

Syaoran smiled softly at her before answering.

"The book was waiting for you to open it," he said.

She had a difficult time hiding her blush, but she liked to believe that was true. The cards were waiting for her. Finding the cards had changed her life in so many ways, but the biggest part was not the gaining of magic, but the fact that it lead her to meet Syaoran and so many others.

"Mizuki-sensei said once that there is no such thing as coincidence…Clow-san too…" Sakura started, and she gazed to her beloved warmly.

"…And I wouldn't have it any other way"

 **THE END**


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